A large shorebird that searches tidal flats and beaches for shellfish with its long orange-red bill.
Adults have a long, bright orange-red bill, a yellow eye, a black head and breast, and a white belly.
Long-term records of American Oystercatchers in central Chile showed year-to-year fluctuations but an overall positive population trend. Researchers combined monitoring at four estuaries since 2006, eBird records, and banded-bird tracking. From 56 marked birds, annual adult survival was estimated at about 0.87, while estuary reproductive success was about 0.20.
Between 2016 and 2021, 33 pairs produced 13 fledglings. The regional counts showed an overall positive trend, but a population model using reproductive rates estimated a decline of about 7% per year. Some banded birds moved more than 100 kilometres. Tracking adult survival, young produced, and movements among sites together can show how coastal breeding areas contribute to the population.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The study estimated adult annual survival at about 0.87 and estuary reproductive success at about 0.20. Recording young produced and movements among sites alongside adult survival can show how breeding areas support the regional population.